Recyclers break rules

It’s a good deed, but doing it the wrong way causes problems, Chris Jacobs, executive director

for the Carroll, Columbiana and Harrison Solid Waste District said.

Recyclers at the Salem site located just to the south of the fire department building have been using it a lot, Jacobs said, but flattening cardboard boxes has been a problem.

“The biggest message we want to get to people is to break their boxes down so more people can use the site,” Jacobs said, adding there is a bigger need for recycling cardboard than ever.

The Salem recycling center has the most cardboard containers and Jacobs said the site averages one person every five minutes using it.

“Sometimes it’s more frequent than that,” he said, “that’s average.”

The cardboard containers are clearly marked with “Please Flatten Cardboard” but that doesn’t seem to be getting the message across and Jacobs said he planned to speak with city officials about placing a larger sign(s) there.

“It would tell people to break down the boxes,” Jacobs said, adding he has made a point of mentioning it at city council and county commissioner meetings.

“The more often people hear the message, the better,” he said.

The city has an agreement with Lewis Refuse to empty the containers and Jacobs said there were no sanctions against people not flattening the boxes.

“Basically it comes down to if we want people to be considerate of other people using the site,” he said.

“It can be a big problem especially on weekends. There are several companies that provide cardboard recycling and the district can provide a list.”

The big aim of recycling is plastic, Jacobs said, “and occasionally we get people who put things in there they shouldn’t. We focus on plastic, milk containers, plastic food cups, the household type of one-use containers, non-durables.”

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